Vapor-heated smoothing-iron.



No. 694,770. Patented Mar. 4, I902.

W. MITCHELL.

,VAPOR. HEATED SMOOTHING IRON.

(Application fileli ,Oct. 3,1900. Renewed Jan. 14, 1902.) (No Hodgl.) 2 Sheefs$heet I.

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Patented Mar. 4, I902.

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VAPOR HEATED SMOOTHING IRON.

(Application filed Oct. 3, 1900. Renewed Jan. 14, 1902.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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A ttorney j/wl :as cu. FHOTO UTHO WASHINGTC UNIT D "STATES P TENT UFFiCE.

WILLIS MITCHELL, or MALDEN, ll/IASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE MITCHELL ens GENERATORAND BURNER COMPANY, or Bosron, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

VAPOR-HEATED SMOOTHlNG-IRON.

sPEoIFmATIoN rormin art of Lett rs Patent No. 694,770, dated. March 4, 1902. Application anaemia 3, 1900. Renewed January 14. 1902. Serial No. 39,771. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,WILLIs MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Malden,in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vapor-Heated Smoothing-Irons and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, 'andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap'pertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to smoothing-irons heated by gasolene or equivalent easily-vaporizable inflammable fluid, and has forits principal objects to increase the efficiency of the burner in heating the bottom of the iron; to improve the devices for regulating the supply of vaporous fuel to said burner; to facilitate the insertion and removal of the burner and parts attached thereto, while securing strength and rigidity in the same and in the mounting thereof; to provide ready detachability of the parts of the iron-body with firmness and safety; to protect the passage'of the gasolene from the reservoir to the burnerand keep the gasolene-pipe out of the way; to provide improved connections between the airchamber, air-pump, gasolene-reservoir, and their support, and generally to increase the simplicity, compactness, 'eflicienc'y, strength, and cheapness of the gasolene-heated smoothing-iron as a whole.

To these ends my invention consists in the construction and combination of the several parts of the self supplied vapor-heated smoothing-iron and its appurtenances, substantially as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective external view of a self-feeding vapor-heated smoothing-iron embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section of the same on the central line. Fig. 3 representsa detail view of the burner-cylinder and jet-block partly broken away to more clearly exhibit the latter and showing the three rows of perforations. Fig. 4 represents a detail plan view of the liquidreservoir, the air-chamber being removed. Fig. 5 represents a bottom view of the baseblock of the air-pump and the shell of the said chamber. Fig; 6 represents an enlarged detail sectional view of the lever which operates the regulating needle-valve. Fig. 7 represents anienlarged external. perspective detail view of the cylinderto which said lever is clamped. Fig. 8 represents a detail veiw of the valve, its head, and collar. Fig.9 represents a detail view of the spirally-grooved relatively fixed sleeve with which the internal pin of the cylinder engages. Fig. 10 represents a detailview of the jet-block. Fig. 11 represents a transverse vertical section through the body of the smoothing-iron on the line cc to of Fig. 2; and Fig. 12 represents a detail plan view of the top shell of the smoothingiron, showing the annular rib C A designates the smoothing-iron handle, which is Wooden and of ordinary form, having the upward ends of U shaped handle-support B set into recesses a of its ends and fastened by screws 01.. A larger screw B passes through the bottom of the said support, at the middle thereof, engaging with a screw-tapped boss O on the top of the upper shell 0 of the smoothing-iron body. An annular rib 0 also raised on the said shell and concentric with said boss, but at 'afconsiderable radial distance from the latter,aifords a sufficient base for the saidsupport,lessening the oblique strain on screw 13 during ironing. The broad annular air-space G 'between said support and said shell surrounding'said boss and surrounded by said rib greatly reduces the amount of heat conducted to the said support 'as compared with contact at all points of the bottom of said support. The latteris broad enough to screen the operators hand,-

The said shell has the y from radiant heat. usual smoothing-iron outline, and its edge rests at all points on a flat shoulder D of thebase or bottom D, to which it is fastened by screws D passing through registering holes d of said shell and c, Fig. 11, of standards D integral with said base and raised thereon just within the wall of the said shelltd brace the same. The latter holes are threaded to engage the said screws, which thus provide for detachability of the two partsof the ironbody, though holding them firmly together.

Thehollow shell v0 and base D are of cast metal, which is thicker at the broad end of the former than elsewhere and provided in the middle of the said end with a circular opening 0 to receive a cylinder or sleeve E, in which is fittedthe open receiving end of a metallic burner F, having three longitudinal parallel rows of small holesf in its under side and the general shape of an elongated glovefinger. The upper face of the bottom part or base D is provided at D" with an elongated depression of similar shape arranged to present the surface of the metal at one-half inch from the said burner. The jets of flame issuing from the three series of holes f converge in this hollow, as indicated by the arrows, the peculiar relative shape and arrangement of the parts described insuring an intense and highly effective heating action on the said base. A jet-block G is fitted into the outer end of the said cylinder or sleeve E. The said sleeve, burner, and jet-block being then practically a single piece are then passed into the iron, the said cylinder E-being hard-solderedthereto in said opening 0 or made fast in any other reliable way. The jet-block, as usual, has air-holes 9 through it and a rearwardly-extending stem G,which is externally screw-threaded and has an internal longitudinal bore forming a jet-hole g. A branch passage g which may pass through the head of the jet-block, as in Fig.

2, or through the stem, as in Fig. 10, leads through the side of the said head or stem and receives the lower end of the gasolene-supply pipeH. A packing-box I, having a central bore in line with that of said stem, screws on the latter and is provided with packing '5. It has also an external groove or thread I,winding hel-ically in direction opposite to that of its internal screw-threads. A loose cylinder or long adjusting-cap J is set over this sleeve and provided with an internal pin j, which enters the groove 1. A needle-valve K extends through the registering bores of the said grooved sleeve and jet-block to the jethole of the latter. Its head 7c is detachably but securely held in the head of cylinder or cap J by a keyhole-slot J therein, there being a fixed collar 7.3 on the rod of the said valve at a distance from the said valve-head equal to the thickness of the said cylinderhead in order that the movement of the said cylinder in either longitudinal direction may take the said valve with it. The fit of the said collar and valve-head against the said cylinder-head is, however, loose enough to permit the cylinder to turn without turning the valve. A split ring Z is slipped upon the said cylinder and clamped by a screw Z, thus fastening detachably but firmly on said sleeve the operating-lever M, which is integral with the said ring and provided with a convenient grasping-knob m. A lug or pin N, projecting from the proximate end of the shell (J, constitutes a stop for the travel of the said lever and sleeve in a rotary path in either direction. The screwing of the grooved sleeve on the jet-block stem is so tight that the action of the pin j on the Wall of the groove 1 will not loosen it, and the helical form of the groove will of course compel the cylinder and valve to move outward orinward, according to the direction of motion of the said lever, thus opening or closing the jetholeeither whollyor t0 the extent desired.

The supply-pipe H, before mentioned, extends back within the shell 0 nearly to the forward end thereof, then back again nearly 1 to the front, and up through the top of the same into and through one arm of abifurcated bent standard 0, following alongitudinal passage of the same to a filtering-pocket p in the bottom of a globular gasolene-reservoir P. The connection between the said bifurcated standard and the said reservoir is made by a metallic coupling P, which constitutes a part of the bottom of the latter and screws upon a screw-threaded upwardly-extending neck 0 of the former. The said pocket is formed in the said coupling and contains ordinary filtering material 19. The said standard is bent out laterally to avoid the handle A and afford room for grasping the same. The topof the said reservoir is provided with a concavity 0 leaving a surrounding air and vapor space X above its lower edge, at the bottom of which concavity is an opening the edge 0 of which receives the flange g at the upper end of a tubular internally-screw-th'readed coupling-block Q, extending down into the said reservoir. The top of this coupling-block is provided with an annular groove q, having a raised annular ridge g in its middle. The bore of this block receives a correspondingly-screwthreaded tubular stem V of a base-block V for an air-pump and air-chamber. .An air-outlet valve R, pressed upward by a spring R, Works up and down in the said tubular stern, its rod 7' working through acentral hole 0" in a block or nut'r, fitted into the lower end of the said stem V.

The blockV has at its bottom a lateral annular shoulder V on which the lower edges of the pump-cylinder S and the surrounding approximately globular air-receptacle U are fitted. It is also provided with a vertical tapering air-outlet passage 8 from said cylinder and with an oblique straight cylindrical airpassage 0 from the air-receptacle or air-chamber U to the interior of the tubular stem V. A piston-rod S, extending up through the head S of the said cylinder, is connected to a piston S therein and reciprocates the same, being provided with a knob or handle S for the convenience of such action. Packing S is provided for the hollow lower face of the said piston to lessen the shock of impact when said piston reaches the bottom of its travel. The cylinder-head S has an annular flanget at its periphery, extending downward to fit on a circumferential enlargement t of the upper end of the said cylinder.

The bottom of base-block V has an annular ridgepc, which rests upon the ridge (1 aforesaid when the two blocks Q and V are screwed together.

ber'to be set lower.

The operation is as follows: The air-pump piston is reciprocated, forcing the air into the 'gasolene reservoir .aroundithe stem of the outlet-valve R, which it opens, also into the air-chamber through the passage V. The

liquid gasolene is forced outthrough .thevfiller and gasolene-pipe H to the jet-block and block and burner.

(the needle-valve being adjusted to open the jet-hole) flows into the burner, escaping.as. vapor through the holes in the bottom of the V latter into the interior of the smoothing-iron.

Owing to the-volatile nature of gasolene, a

certain amount of vapor will always follow the pathindicatediuadvance of the liquid. This is ignited through the-air-holes O in the upper part of shell G, and the flame is communicated at once to the holes f of the-burner.

: The remainder flows back up through the said pipe H in the-form of bubbles, takingacourse exactly opposite-to the 110w of liquid through the same. These bubbles pass up through the liquid in the gasolene-reservoir and expand into the space X at the top of the same,

a certain part of t e vapor also passing up into the air-chamber when itspressure becomes great enough to overcomethat of the air therein. The combined pressure of the vapor thus accumulating and the air previously compressed and supplied,as before stated,aids gravity in forcing the liquid down through A ring W, of fibrous packing, is. fitted .into groove q, and these two ridges bite into it from opposite sides, makinga tight joint. Theconcavity O allowstheai r-cha1n-':

pipe H and'of course greatly accelerates the how; The air-pumpis used only in starting 7 the iron, which at once becomes self-feeding. Of course other inflammable and volatile .liq-

nid maybesubstituted for gaso'lene,-and the details of the device may be varied considerably. without departing from l the spirit and scope ofmy-inven'tion.

1 The .v'alve R when in vits highest or closed: position cuts off the fioiv of air or vapor from the air-chamber or gasolene-reservoir to the .pumpPcylinder, or vice versa, but permits" the flow in either direction between the air-chamher and'said reservoir. Thisis the normal position and arrangement ofrthedevice; Ido notclaiinin this application the heating and oil supplying devices hereinbefore described, the same forming the subject-matter of application,No. 40,362, filed December 19, 1900.

Having thus described my invention, what.

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is v I A smoothing-iron body havingthe upper face of its bottom plate horizontal, but supplied with a central longitudinal depression, which is concave in cross-section, in combination with a burner arranged above the said depression and corresponding in shape and size thereto, means for-fastening the said burner'in the said body and means for sup plying vapor thereto, the said burner being provided with parallel rows of holes in itslowerside and arranged opposite to-the-said' depression for the purpose of causing the'jets of flame from the holes to' converge within the depression substantially as shown-and described.

In testimonywhereof I aftix ny signature I in presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses: NELLIE LOUISEBABRY, ERNEST B. CONANT..

' WILLIS iurrfonnLil.i 

